Wage

In his column "Risk to city outweighs benefits of living wage" (July 25) Jay Hancock perpetuates the myth that wage rates are the dominant factor influencing decisions of where large business will locate within the greater Baltimore regional marketplace. As a general rule, nothing could be further from the truth. In making location decisions, transportation access and the availability of a skilled workforce are very important to the success of a manufacturing concern; transportation and proximity to customers to a warehousing operation; and the existence of underserved demand and public access are crucial to retail sales outlets.

Regarding your recent report on vacant housing in Baltimore, yes, vacant houses are a problem, but don't confuse them with the problem of homelessness ( "Baltimore vacants are linked to crime, as are other indicators," Aug. 7). Broken windows, boarded up doors, and overgrown weeds devalue surrounding homes. However, most people are homeless because they cannot afford the costs associated with housing. Homelessness itself is not a crime nor does it necessarily lead to criminal activity.

Is it any mystery why Maryland and Baltimore in particular, are considered anti-business? The "living wage" bill proposed by City Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke will certainly result in the closing of one retailer on Pratt Street downtown and possibly threatens the existence of current and proposed Walmart stores, meaning the considerable loss of jobs ("'Major retailers' would pay city's 'living wage' under bill," May 4). How can politicians be so arrogant as to decide that they can tell an employer how much they have to pay employees?

Diners rejoice! Baltimore City is celebrating its summer Restaurant Week through Aug. 10, and Baltimore County restaurants kick off their celebration Friday. The events offer a great way to discover new places and fresh tastes or revisit old favorites at a discount. But while you're enjoying your meal, consider the servers and restaurant staff who make the dining experience. During the last Maryland General Assembly session, workers who rely on tips for salary were dealt a harsh blow when legislators permanently froze their pay at $3.63 per hour.

Regarding Adam Schneider's recent commentary ("Supplement charity with advocacy," Dec. 1), raising the minimum wage should not be used as a solution to assist the less fortunate. There are misleading statistical errors in Mr. Schneider's claim that no minimum wage worker can afford an efficiency apartment unit. His claim directly conflicts with data provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development showing that at least eight counties in Maryland contain fair market rent efficiency units affordable to minimum wage earners working 25 hours a week or less.

I have great respect for Jay Hancock and in the words of an old country western song was almost persuaded by his reasoning on why a living wage hourly salary for 3,000 Baltimoreans laboring at big box retailers is counterproductive to the local economy ("Risk to city outweighs benefits of living wage," July 25). Just when I'd reached the same conclusion I noted in the same business section that the heirs of George Steinbrenner are exempt from estate tax of over $500 million due to the happenstance that the Boss expired in 2010, having survived several of the managers he consigned to unemployment, such as Billy Martin and Bob Lemon.

Recently, Dan Rodricks took on the Republicans in Congress who want to pay down the federal budget deficit by raising taxes on the middle class and the poor ("Tax the poor, protect the rich," Aug. 21). Never mind that these segments of the population already barely have enough for necessities, much less the wherewithal to pay taxes that should be borne by those who have the most: wealthy individuals and corporations. Yet the wealthy are considered more moral, somehow better people than the rest of us, and thus deserving of windfall profits and legal loopholes that allow them to pay little or nothing in taxes.

They're at it again, trying to bump up the minimum wage in Maryland from $7.25 to $10 per hour in 2013 ("Raising the standard," editorial, Jan. 21). Happily, even some of the Democrats recognize that if we want to create jobs then we shouldn't go around making it more expensive to employ people. I give Sen. Thomas Middleton (Democrat of Charles County) credit for pointing out that, "We're trying to create jobs. We're trying to hold on to what we've got. I think raising the minimum wage goes against that.

The op-ed from Laura Howell ( "Minimum wage debate ignores crucial group," Jan. 15), touches on the heart of the issue: Should those who render care and assistance to people with special needs be forgotten as we try to address the issue of the minimum wage? Obviously the answer is no. Further, while her excellent piece focuses on the here and now, I would urge legislators to also look forward. The people served by this workforce present plenty of challenges today, but like everyone else they are aging.

A group of faculty and students at St. Mary's College of Maryland, which charges the highest in-state tuition of Maryland's public institutions, is advocating a new wage structure it says would keep student costs down by establishing a "living wage" for the lowest-paid workers and capping top salaries. Students on campuses nationwide — including Harvard University, the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University — have long lobbied for so-called living wages that pay staff enough to comfortably afford to live in their communities.

Gov. Martin O'Malley joined U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez at a popular burrito restaurant in this Washington suburb Thursday to praise its higher-than-minimum wages and to call for a pay raise for other American workers. The event at Boloco gave O'Malley an opportunity to lend public support to a top priority of President Obama at a time when the governor has been at odds with the administration over how to shelter immigrant children from Central America. Appearing with Perez, Montgomery County Executive Isiah "Ike" Leggett and Boloco chief executive Patrick Renna, O'Malley said the 22-restaurant chain does well by treating its employees well.

I don't live in Baltimore, but I have been following the workers' struggle at Hopkins closely. A $15 per hour minimum wage is a no brainer in today's world ( "A win-win for Hopkins," July 8). People often use the "small business" red herring to really say that working people are asking for too much when they ask for $15. But Hopkins isn't a small business, so that isn't plausible at all, at least not here. The author admits that Ronald Peterson, president of Hopkins, made over $15 million this past year, but worries about passing on costs to the consumer.

Commendations to Johns Hopkins Hospital and members of 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East for their $15 per hour wage agreement ( "Hopkins workers approve contract," July 12). When wages are so low that workers cannot meet the basic needs of their families, it is not only degrading to the individual but non-productive for the employer. By contrast, paying a fair wage manifests self-respect in the employee who rewards the employer with more productivity, less sick days off and more loyalty to the company with less turnover.

After months of negotiations, one strike and the threat of another, and intervention from the governor, Johns Hopkins Hospital and 2,000 service workers reached a tentative labor agreement early Tuesday that some said could become an "important benchmark" for the health care industry. The deal, which is to be submitted to the workers for a vote, came after seven hours of negotiations that ended at 2 a.m. It would affect housekeepers, cooks, janitors, surgical technicians and others.

The tentative contract reached early Tuesday between Johns Hopkins Hospital and the labor union representing about 2,000 of its service workers represents a victory not only for the hospital and members of 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East but for Baltimore. The contract raises wages, in some case dramatically so, allowing Hopkins to set an example of what a "living wage" can mean for the health and security of workers in this city. It was a hard-fought effort that included a three-day strike in April and, more recently, intervention by Gov. Martin O'Malley to avert another such action.

Juggling the rising cost of textbooks, tuition, food and rent is a little more manageable now for rising University of Maryland, Baltimore County senior Keyerra Jeter, thanks to a June 1 raise in starting pay to $9 per hour for Gap Inc.'s 65,000 employees. "It was difficult, with everything being so expensive all the time, to budget for everything on a minimum-wage salary," said Jeter, an employee of the Old Navy in Waugh Chapel. "I'm just thankful the increase has let me better meet the needs that I have.

Major retailers in Baltimore would be forced to pay employees the city's designated 'living wage' -- currently slightly more than $10 per hour -- under a measure introduced by Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke at Monday's council meeting. Retailers that are part of a chain that grosses more than $10 million annually would be required to pay employees the living wage rate under Clarke's proposal. "This would apply to the businesses that can afford to do this, not the mom-and-pop stores on the corner," Clarke said.

Small business owners on the Eastern Shore, especially Ocean City , may not be able to afford to pay an employee more than $8.25 per hour. And we are not alone; many small towns in Maryland have Mom and Pop businesses. In Ocean City , we have a four-month season, and after that business owners are forced to live off our savings and meager profit from the summer. Many businesses here close after Oct. 1 and have a zero revenue stream until April. Many people that live here year-round are placed on unemployment in the winter.

Congratulations to The Sun for its balanced reporting of the many complexities of the subminimum wage issue and its acknowledgment that a phase-out needs to be gradual so that no individual loses opportunity or earnings ("'Subminimum wage' for disabled workers called exploitative," June 14). The Arc Baltimore, whose mission is, in part, is to expand and diversify employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, is encouraged at the progress we've seen for those in jobs earning at or above minimum wage and at companies that are in the community, not in segregated workshops.

In response to The Sun's editorial, "Pennies per hour" (June 23), it needs to be clarified that The Arc Maryland does not hold a 14(c) certificate and does not pay Marylanders, including those with disabilities, subminimum wages. As an advocacy organization, The Arc Maryland does not include jobs that "calculate wages based on a formula that compares their employees' productivity against that of non-disabled workers performing the same tasks," as the editorial stated. The mission of The Arc Maryland is to "work to create a world where children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities have and enjoy equal rights and opportunities.